The media row view from the rafters of the Coliseum in Lincoln
Thursday night, after Creighton and Nebraska met in at the Coliseum in a volleyball match, the head coaches from both schools provided some interesting sound bites on their team’s play.
One coach was concerned about the team’s play:
“I’m not sure our play was the highlight of the night. I thought we were really inconsistent all night and just wasn’t playing smooth. That was frustrating. We need to turn that around by tomorrow…I don’t think we did anything well tonight.”
The other coach felt pretty good about their team:
“I thought we improved from where we were. We talked to the players and the week was focused on taking risks and swinging hard. I thought we did that.”
These were different perspectives of what you think you would hear. If you didn’t watch the Volleyball match or listened on the radio, you probably would not have had any idea that Nebraska swept Creighton, 25-14, 26-24 and 25-16 in front of the packed house of 4066 and the 150th straight sell out on Nebraska’s home court.
The first quote belonged to Nebraska head coach John Cook, who was disappointed with his team’s play. On the other hand, Creighton head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth was pretty encouraged about how her team looked tonight and there were a lot of positives to build on headed into Friday and Saturday.
Creighton did look better Thursday night compared to last weekend at the Bluejay Invitational. “Coach has always told us we have a tough non-conference schedule,” said senior Laurel Sanford, who had 5 kills and 3 block assists. “We are to play our hardest and leave it all out on the court. Karisa (Almgren), (Megan) Bober and I are trying to keep the mentality that we want to become better.”
The offense came from some unexpected places early. Creighton’s move to the 6-2 has opened up some different opportunities for setters Megan Bober and Michelle Sicner. In the first set, the duo combined to lead the Bluejays in the early stages of the set. But an 11-0 run behind Nebraska’s Brooke Delano’s serving hurt the Bluejays chances to try and surprise the Cornhuskers. Cook was a bit surprised about the run. “Really? Wow. Brooke hasn’t served much this year because we are trying to pace her on her shoulder.” Cook continued, “So maybe that is the answer. Don’t let them serve in practice and in games they will serve great.”
Some of the missed opportunities that led to the run were some passing breakdowns and being able to finish, but it was also the Nebraska defense. “Nebraska is so good defensively, so if you get a good swing, sometimes they will play it up and come right back at you with an out of system swing,” said Booth. “We just couldn’t put the ball down.”
The Bluejays rotated 11 players during the first set and did not get through a full rotation until almost the end of the set. Part of that player rotation also marked the debut of Leah McNary, who was slated to redshirt this season. She was put into the game late in the first set. On her first swing, she scored a kill.
The freshman from Tarpon Springs, Florida finished the set and re-entered in the third set, getting some extra experience. “We discussed this week about taking her out of redshirt and now she is in the mix fighting for a spot,” said Booth. “She has been playing very well on the scout side. It just provides more depth. She can get up and terminate. She can also be erratic. That will be the challenge for her to keep up her consistency. She can do some special things too.”
The second set was a complete turnaround after the first set breakdowns. The lead changed throughout with constant side outs but Creighton was playing a point down most of the set. Nebraska was up 24-23 before they were called with a double-hit on a set to tie things at 24. The next point was won by Nebraska off of an errant kill attempt by Michelle Sicner that was a bit questionable on a tipped ball that may not have been noticed. The Huskers went on to win the set 26-24 and the Bluejays went from one set of emotions to try and tie things at 1 set apiece, but instead down in an 0-2 deficit. Sicner did finish the night tied for the team lead in kills with 6.
In the final set, Nebraska got an early lead and didn’t let it go as the Bluejays tried their best to stay in the match. With the dramatic second set still in the back of their minds, it was not in the cards for Creighton to steal a set against the Huskers, who almost never lose at home.
Cook recognized after the match what it means for Creighton to play a team like Nebraska. “Well, they have nothing to lose. They are excited to be here. They were teeing off on their serves,” said Cook. “I think they are struggling with some of the things we are struggling with.”
It may be a while before the Bluejays and Huskers meet again on the volleyball court. With limited dates Nebraska has to schedule matches due to the Big 10 schedule, the two schools will not play each other next season. However, Booth enjoys the opportunities available to play Nebraska the past several years. “I grew up in Lincoln and I know what tradition this is and it is one of the best places to play in college athletics. They are a testament to the great volleyball that is out there across the state of Nebraska.”
The Bluejays now have to rebound to finish the week with two more games at the Coliseum. Creighton will take on Weber State on Friday afternoon at 4:30 and then take on St. Mary’s, who has received several votes just outside the top 25 this week, at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday. Thursday night’s performance may have ended in a loss, but the positives given to the team from here on out should be encouraging as conference play will start next week against Drake.
“I told the team I think we are doing better and played better than we did Saturday night (against Marquette),” said Booth. “You come in an play a top 10 team, by the end of the year, in a home court atmosphere and we showed an entire game of great play. What we did before is a half game of great play. I want them to recognize when we are playing better because we can’t be so beat down that once we get into conference season we are not positive.”
I think they are on the right track.
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For more of what went on in Lincoln on Thursday night, check the replay of WBR Live!